Question to foodies about garlic

Since I'm a gardener I was looking recently at garlic vendors, thinking I would try to grow my own. There are a number of different kinds, some very ornamental with striped bulbs.
I went to the grocery store the other day and was getting some spices and I saw a ginormous container of dried garlic powder, over a pound, which I bought. I used just a sprinkle with my other spices in a pot of black beans I'm cooking right now.
Just a sprinkle was more than enough, the entire kitchen is now redolent of garlic scent.
So, my question: Are there notable differences between the different varieties of garlics? I use hot pepper often in cooking and it isn't just 'hot' the different kinds of peppers have much different personalities. Is it the same for garlic?

Yes. Some types of garlic are more pungent, but also the soil/way it's grown can also change it's strength somewhat.

Elephant garlic is huge, but it can be more mild than some. Then how it's treated to be processed will also change the flavor and "harshness".

I love to grow garlic, but I'm rarely successful in getting "adult" bulbs to harvest. Just don't quite have the soil right I guess. I've always bought whatever type of *insert root or tuber or bulb* I preferred and planted from that. You can buy bulbs of fresh garlic, seperate the bulbs and plant them. I almost picked up a elephant garlic a few days ago to do that, but it's sooo hot here, I just don't think it'll do well.

If I were you, I'd start with one type and just go through all the kinds of garlic you can find, test them to see which ones you like best. After all, there's never too much garlic!

Like onions, some varieties do better in heat than others. There is a site that has instructions and scrumptious pictures of beautiful garlics: http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/growsouth.htm


I may try a few different varieties next year and see whether I can really distinguish one from another. I can distinguish different kinds of onions, so maybe I will be able to tell differences in garlic.

I know that for some things, I really can't tell the difference. Wine, for instance. I occasionally drink wine and when I do, it would be a decent Beaujolais or a nice white wine.

I'm awed and amazed at people who have the expertise to not only distinguish different varieties but some who can actually guess the year the wine they are tasting was made.